Name: Tetsuo Ikegawa

History

• 19xx:
  Born in Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku island (smallest island of Japan's major 4 islands) of Japan.
• 19xx:
  Entered Psychology department of Sophia University in Tokyo, and started stdying psychology, but soon after that, I was disappointed at psychology. I thought psychology is scientific study, but actually it was a kind of literature there. Instead, I found computer programming in the labo is more interesting to me. I became proficient in programming in BASIC, Z80 Assembler and LISP.
• 19xx:
  Graduated from the university and found a job in the Japanese subsidary of a US computer firm in Tokyo. It was good old days, although I had not majored in computer science, I was employed as a system software programmer! There, I localized their machines' operating system with assembler, and worked for trouble shooting of the customers.
• 19xx:
  Later, the US firm found their business in Japan was not profitable, they gave up computer buisness in Japan, and sold the Japanese subsidary to a major Japanese computer firm. Yes, the US company was defeated by Japanese as usual. However, I do not like to work in the Japanese big company because of their restrictive culture. I left the company and found a programming job at the small software firm in Tokyo. There, I designed and developped some CAD systems and a compiler on UNIX boxes with C and FORTRAN for the customers' request.
• 19xx:
  A few years later, I hoped to develop my original software. However, the company always developed software based on customers' requests, it is difficult to design a software from scrach at that company. So, I started to look for a better job, and fortunately found a job soon in a software and publishing company. in Tokyo. Kei Nishi, a Japanese friend of MicroSoft's Bill Gates had founded the company. The company was developing and selling their own software as well as publishing magazines about computers.
  At that time, it seemed that UNIX would be a promising computing platform, so I designed and developed a drawing tool for X Window, but unfortunately, UNIX could not be major platform, and I could not make it an attractive software, so the company gave up to make it a commercial product.
  Instead, I started localizing a spread-sheet program from a US company. However, I kept saying that I wanted to develop original software while I was working for the localizing.
• 199x:
  When the localizing project was almost finished, the company wanted me to go to a database company in Silicon Valley and join their development team to help developing their next generation product. The Japanese company was investing to the database company, and wanted to release next product soon, and also wanted to localize then sell it in Japan soon.
  I was pleased to accept the company's offer then went to the US. In the US, I joined the development team and developed C++ core class libraries in the development team for a few years.
• 199x:
  A few years later, Japanese "bubble" economy was bursted, and the business of the Japanese company that sent me to the US went bad, they did not want me to continue working for the US company any more, so they ordered me to go back to Japan. However, I enjoyed the life in the US, and also, I felt that the Japanese company did not really need me.
  So I started to find a job in the US.
• 199x:
  Fortunately, I found a position in a software firm in Silicon Valley, and the Japanese company accepted my resignation, so I started to work here in Silicon Valley as an software engineer!
  This company is my current employer. I localized and released a lot of products here, and now I'm developing a software developing tool that works on UNIX, Windows, Mac and OS/2.
  
• 199x:
  Unfortunately, the software firm in Silicon Valley did not succeed to make money. I left the company then went back to Japan. I found a programming job at a Europian Bank Tokyo Branch. Now, I am developing some equity trading software with Java and C. So far, it seems to be successful. What will be next?

Favorite things:

• Books:
  I like reading scientific fictions, written by Isac Asimov, James P. Horgan etc., and a fan of fantasy written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Also like reading Japanese historical novels written by Ryotaro Shiba.
  
• Music:
  Like to play bass guitar, normal guitar, keyboard and saxhorn.
  
• Computer games:
  Like to play Nintendo or SEGA Saturn's game. Recently, Virtua Fighter from SEGA is my favorite one.
• Games other than computer game:
  Like Mahjong, GO. Pretty good player. Can play western Chess and Japanese Chess (Shogi) but not a good player.
• Golf:
  So-so. My best score is 97.
  
• Ski:
  I like it, but recently I have not skied...